New pay-per-mile road charging scheme to be considered

Motorists in London could be the first drivers charged for the distance they cover

Motorists in the capital city could soon be the first drivers charged for the distance they travel under new plans being considered by the Mayor of London to help tackle the problem of pollution.

The capital could be the first city in the UK to trial a pay-per-mile system for drivers, following new plans by the Mayor to cut car usage in the city by around three million a day.

The current Congestion charge of £11.50 could be superseded by the new road charging scheme if passed.

The Mayor of London, Mr Sadiq Khan, has this week released a new draft consultation report named the ‘Mayor’s Transport Strategy’, which lays out new measures to tackle the issue of pollution in the capital and will run until 2 October 2017.

Other proposals include “a future scheme that reflects distance, time, emissions and road danger and other factors in an integrated way.”

No details have been released concerning how motorists would be charged or how much they will have to pay.

According to the report, during the 14 years since the Congestion Charge first began, more cars are now driving into the city centre during the times when the charge is not in operation.

As a result, the Mayor of London suggests keeping all of the city’s current user charges “under review”.

Mr Sadiq hopes that more drivers will choose to travel via public transport rather than pay a penalty, aiming to cut the number of car journeys made in London by three million a day, hopefully increasing the amount of journeys taken via public transport from 64% to 80%.

The Mayor’s strategy is also set on improving road safety in the capital, with additional help they are hoping to introduce ‘Vision Zero’ – no one killed by a London bus by 2030 and all serious injuries and deaths eradicated from the city by 2041.

A new measure is also under consideration titled “healthy routes” by the Mayor – cyclists and pedestrians would have priority and parking places and roads would be changed into pedestrian zones and cycle lanes.

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